40 Years of 'School and Democracy'

Neoliberalism, Human Capital Theory, and Historical-Critical Pedagogy in Latin America

Abstract

The implementation of the neoliberal model in Latin America in the mid-1970s brought about a series of structural transformations that had a direct impact on the educational sphere: educational reforms, budget reductions, and a new logic of public policy were justified under the so-called "human capital theories". In parallel, Dermeval Saviani developed the initial guidelines of Historical-Critical Pedagogy which not only engaged with the political-intellectual debates of the 1960s and 1970s but also positioned itself against an exclusionary, elitist, and meritocratic education, characteristic of the neoliberal model. In this article, we will seek to engage these theories in dialogue, as well as highlight some pedagogical interpretation keys to consider a true critical and transformative pedagogy.